Republicans make it standard practice to undermine civil government and honesty in order to get their way. They have been doing this for decades, and it gets worse over time.

A few notes are required:

• I won't take US intelligence's word that the email leaks of the Democratic National Committee were arranged by Russia -- though that may have happened.

Whoever was behind those leaks, what matters most is that they served the public by demonstrating how the DNC had sabotaged Sanders' campaign in favor of Clinton.

• It should be noticed that most Montana voters had already voted when Gianforte attacked reporter Ben Jacobs. Also, Gianforte apologized and pled guilty.

However, other Republicans alluded to the attack by inciting more violence.

• ALEC does not "bypass" state legislatures. Rather, it helps corporations organize legislators and sometimes to buy their votes.

• Republicans recently banned using the term "climate change", but 15 years ago they told government employees to say "climate change" instead of the clearer and more concrete "global warming".